The Film
Good trilogies are hard to find. Most trilogies (Terminator, The Matrix, The Godfather) have a weak third act. There are good trilogies (Die Hard), and even great trilogies (The Lord of the Rings, Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name" series). Robert Rodriquez manages to finish strong with his "Mariachi" trilogy which concludes with the bombastic Once Upon a Time in Mexico. There is far more of a "story" with this final outing, and it involves a few twists and turns with Johnny Depp showing up as a corrupt CIA operative, a complex (even confusing) plot to overthrow the Mexican government and enough characters to make it all somehow come together.
The Picture
Once Upon a Time in Mexico will also likely be remembered (at least by film buffs) as one of the early digital films. While this jump isn't as notable as the first "talkies" or the first "color" movies, it is worth noting that this one was shot in HD digital video. The picture has a soft quality as a result and it shows that the technology has come a long ways, but the 1.79:1 presentation looks surprisingly even throughout most of the film.
The Sound
For an action film Once Upon a Time in Mexico delivers the goods on the audio front, as the 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack accommodates the action with plenty of discrete effects. Most subtle sounds are lost in the mix however, but dialog comes through front and center, while there is plenty of action from the sides and rear. The musical cues resonate quite well and evenly throughout. One nitpick that needs to be brought up: why is the Spanish version (given the Latino cast) only available in Spanish 5.1 channel compressed Dolby Digital and not 5.1 channel lossless DTS-HD Master Audio?
The Extras
All the stops were pulled out for this one, even if many of these extras were previously available on the special edition DVD. Robert Rodriguez provides commentary for the feature as well as deleted scenes. He also seems to have opened the vaults to include a featurette with the director on how shooting on HD has advantages compared to film. Also included are a mixed bag of featurettes including a "Ten-Minute COOKING School" that offers tips to make some of the food that appeared on screen, a look at the making of the film in "Ten-Minute Flick School," and the effects in "The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Inside KNB FX." There is also a Cutting Room feature that allows viewers to cut and mix scenes and upload these to BD-Live, and two other featurettes on the director's own studio ("Inside Troublemaker Studios") and some background on the lead character with "The Anti-Hero's Journey."
Final Thoughts
With Once Upon a Time in Mexico Rodriguez completes his trilogy reasonably well. It offers more than enough action for two films, and has a satisfying conclusion. By the end, it is so over-the-top that it veers into the realm of a graphic novel, with larger-than-life characters to boot. But it is a nice conclusion to a fun ride through three very unique films.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
